Confined blasts, and the impact of shock wave reflections on a human head and the related traumatic brain injury

We examine the effects of blast waves in a confined space on a human head model. A finite element human model (FEHM) is exposed to blast waves from explosions, as well as, to the reflected waves from the confinement walls. The intensity of the travelling blast shock waves is measured computationally and compared with experimental results. We monitor the mechanical response of the brain of the FEHM at different stand-off positions, either close to, or away from the surrounding walls in interaction with the travelling blast waves. The skull pressure, brain intracranial pressure (ICP), acceleration, shear stress, and principal stresses and strains are measured as the biomechanical parameters for injury diagnosis and compared for all the situations and stand-off positions considered. The results illustrate that the additional reflected shock waves due to the surrounding walls can dramatically change the brain biomechanical parameters.